Brain-Scan Lie Detection Rejected By Brooklyn Court

blair1q writes "A judge in Brooklyn has excluded Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) lie-detector evidence from a trial there. However, the decision will not set a precedent, as it was made without even conducting a hearing on the method's validity, but on the principle, argued by the defense, that 'juries are supposed to decide the credibility of the witness, and fMRI lie detection, even if it could be proven completely accurate, infringes on that right.' That principle can be tested in later hearings, such as one scheduled for May 13, 2010, in Tennessee; in this case, the defense wants to use fMRI evidence it has already collected to prove its client is innocent. fMRI has been shown to be 76-90% accurate. That number seems significantly larger than the rate of false convictions."

Comments

Re:The statistical value of "resonable dobut" = 0.

[WrongSizeGlass]

It's a lie detector not a mind reader.

Yeah! Do you know how expensive it is getting Kreskin to testify? Plus, I bet he's booked for months in advance.

Humans +1

[tpstigers]

This is a huge victory for humanity. What it really means is that the machines cannot tell when we're lying.